The Femur
by papillonrose22
Summary: What did happen to Chicharron's femur? One shot. Hector x Imelda. Spoilers for Coco.


Author's note: As you can tell by the title and description, this fic was inspired by the age old question "What happened with Chicharron's femur?" I'm sure there are loads of theories out there. This is simply a one shot of what I think could have happened.

* * *

"Hola Chicharron!" Hector said with his usual enthusiasm as he bursted through Chicharron's door.

"Hola Hector." Chich replied with a non-amused glare.

"Wonderful day isn't it?"

"What do you want Hector?"

"I just came to say hello and-" he shrugged as if to apologize for his next words "to ask a favor?"

"Si?"

"Could I borrow uh... could you lend me your- your... I just need-" he said avoiding the question to his best ability.

"What?! Hector, what do you need?!"

"Your femur!" he blurted out like ripping off a bandaid

"My what?"

"Y-y-your femur" hector restated sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck's vertebrae.

"I heard you the first time. Why would you need my femur? Can't you use yours?"

"I tried that already." he looked at the ground in defeat, "Darn spirit guide is as smart as her owner."

"Oh you're trying to sneak over the bridge again aren't you?"

"heh heh si"

"And why can't you use your own femur?"

"Eh. Cuz the alebrije I need to cross over uh well she doesn't like me very well."

"Hard to imagine why. Look Hector, I understand wanting to cross over to see the land of the living and all but if your family doesn't put up your photo, I say good riddance!"

"Nah it's not like that-"

"Why would you want to see a family that doesn't have the decency to put up your picture! You deserve better mi amigo"

"No they deserved better! That's the point!" he sighed as he reluctantly decided to tell chich about his past. Hector hated telling people about what had happened and the mess he put himself in. It felt like he had to relive it and feel the pain all over again. But chich is practically family now and would probably find out eventually anyway.

"The way I left them... something happened. a misunderstanding. I don't know why but Imelda is convinced I cheated on her or left her or- I don't know. It doesn't matter. She's been dead for a while now."

"Then why try to cross over?"

"To see my girl. She's still alive! Even if she believes some lies about me, I still want to see my daughter grow up! I haven't seen her since the night I left... if I could just cross the bridge one time!"

"But my femur Hector? _That's_ how you're going to cross. I don't know."

"ah come on Chich! If I lose your femur, you can just call it back as if your hand fell off! No harm can come to your femur anyway! I promise to give it RIGHT back!"

Chicharron thought about it for a moment, and took off his femur with a bit of regret, "alright amigo, I suppose you're right, I can just re-attach it if you don't bring it back yourself!"

"Si si! Muchas gracias!" He took Chich's femur out of his hand and ran out of shantytown to a couple houses away from the Rivera's shoe shop/house.

* * *

Hector knew Pepita was always near the Rivera house to keep it protected, but he didn't want any of the family to spot him outside, so he kept his distance. He tied Chich's femur to a strong fishing pole (that he borrowed from another shantytown friend) then threw the bone in front of the Rivera house. A few seconds later, Pepita came prowling towards the bone from the back of the house. She slowly crept closer and closer, sniffing the cobblestone and dirt on the way to the source of the delicious smelling bone. Hector watched in anticipation behind a nearby bush, anxiously grasping onto the fishing pole.

**creek**

The front door opened. Hector nearly gasped when he saw Imelda walk out. He hadn't seen her in months. Her beauty takes his breath away everytime he sees her. But this time he was especially taken back by the fact that if she sees him, he is in big trouble. they are not exactly on speaking terms... or seeing terms... or not-smacking-in-the-face-as-soon-as-she-lays-eyes-on-him terms.

"What is it Pepita?" Imelda said addressing her tall alebrija.

As Hector watched carefully behind the bush he thought,

 _I should run! No! I need Chich's femur back... can I risk another hit to the head? I don't want to make Imelda angry- angrier at me. Maybe if I just slowly-_

Pepita bit the bone and quickly jerked her head to the side causing Hector to be pulled out of the bush. He landed right in front of them in a pile of discombobulated bones.

Imelda gasped, not sure who this stranger was that just came crashing out of her neighbors garden. As he put himself together, it didnt take her long to recognize that this man was her husband.

"You!" she yelled as she reached for her boot.

"Imelda!" He said trying to sound casual as he picked up his head.

She threw her shoe at him causing him to duck as he put his hat back on.

"How are you?" He said sheepishly as if getting a shoe thrown at him was a normal way of saying hello.

"What do you think you're doing here!" she said angrily.

"I was just-"

"I thought we agreed to stay away from each other!"

"I know I know! I wouldn't have shown up if Pepita didn't drag me out of-"

"It was bad enough having to see you when Victoria arrived. As if that's an excuse to come back into our lives!"

"Now hang on a minute! The department said I had every right to be there to see my own grand daughter!"

"You forfeited that right a long time ago!"

"I didn't mean-"

"GET OUT!" she said reaching for her other shoe.

"Imelda, if you would just let me-"

"No! I've said it before and I'll say it again!" she said wavering her last shoe at him. "You left this family, you don't deserve to come back after what you put us through! You most certainly don't get to come and feed off our business' success!"

"You think that's why I'm here?"

"Why else? I wasn't good enough for you then but now that I have an established business you want to come back?"

"That's not why I want to be here!"

"Spare me your lies musico!" she pointed her boot at him as if it were a sword.

"I just wanted to ride Pepita across the bridge!"

"Why not use your own alebrije for your stupid schemes?"

"I can't... he left."

"Takes after you then doesn't he?" she snapped

"No! well-... yes. That's not the point. Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to bother or upset you. This was a stupid plan..." he said shaking his head in shame. Slowly he glanced up at Imelda once more, "but since I'm here if I could just-"

"Don't you DARE think about inviting yourself to dinner!"

"Can't I just say-"

Pepita crunched Chicharron's femur, swallowed it, and growled at Hector. He jumped and dropped his hat. Hector was both scared for himself AND for Chicharron's now missing femur.

"OUT!" she demanded as she threw her last shoe at him. and with that Hector scrambled for his hat on the ground and ran back to shantytown.


End file.
